Article carrying bracket adapted for attachment to a crutch or the like



Nov. .17, 1959 J. M. SHINN ARTICLE CARRYING BRACKET ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO A CRUTCHOR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 8, 1955 Lil-:1

mmvrog usse. Max 67mm BY I J I, I

flTTORNEY ARTICLE CARRYING BRACKET ADAPTED FOR 7 ATTACHMENT TO A CRUTCH OR THE LIKE Jesse Max Shinn, Seattle, Wash.

Application August 8, 1955, Serial No. 527,025

14 Claims. (Cl. 13547) [The present invention relates to crutches and more particularly relates to a crutch accessory comprising an article carrying bracket adapted for attachment to a.

United States atent Heretofore, persons finding it necessary to use crutches encountered considerable difiiculty and fatigue in carrying relatively bulky or heavy packages or similar articles, since use of both hands to grasp and manipulate the crutches is required and the carrying of an article as well in one hand interferes with normal movement of the crutches and proves burdensome to the user thereof.

The present invention undertakes to provide an article carrying bracket adaptable for mounting on a variety of crutch types, which bracket is capable of supporting a package or other article in a stable manner, so that a package or other article to be carried by the crutch 'user can be supported directly by the crutch and may be carried merely by the normal manipulation of the crutch Without undue difficulty, fatigue, or interference with the intended function of the crutch.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an article carrying crutch bracket adapted for attachment to the upright of a crutch. A related object of the present invention is to provide an article carrying crutch bracket inikit form having alternately used crutch contacting means to render said article carrying bracket adaptable for application to a variety of types of crutches.

1 A further object of the present invention is toprovide an article carrying bracket for attachment to a. crutch, wherein said bracket may be simply adapted to the carrying 'of articles of various sizes, the bracket extending transversely from the crutch a relatively small dimension for carrying small dimension articles and for when the crutch bracket is not in use, and extending a relatively great transverse dimension from the crutch when carrying articles of relatively large dimension.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an article carrying bracket for attachment to a crutch, wherein two article engaging means, such as notches, are employed to provide stability to and minimize pendulum action of an article being carried occasioned by intermittent movement of the crutch.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide, in combination with a crutch, an article carrying bracket permitting the user of the crutch to carry relatively bulky and/or heavy articles with considerably less effort than would be necessary in the absence of such bracket.

- It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an article carrying bracket for attachment to a crutch, wherein said bracket is designed to be readily attached to and removed from such crutch rapidly and simply.

It is an-additional object of the present invention to prov'ide an article carrying bracket for attachment to a crutch of the single-upright type, wherein said bracket is readily Patented Nov. 17, 1959 2 detachable from and adjustable along the upright to a desired article carrying position.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specific description of typical embodiments thereof, set forth by way of illustration and not limitation, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, and wherein:

Figure 1 presents in perspective view a typical article carrying bracket according to the present invention, assembled for attachment to a so-called double-upright type of crutch; I

Fig. 2 presents in side elevation 'view a segment of a double-upright, crutch having the article carrying bracket attached thereto in relatively extended position, the major dimension of the bracket extending at right angles from the general plane of the crutch uprights;

Fig. 3 illustrates in plan view the crutch segment and attached bracket illustrated in Fig. 2, such view being taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of a double-upright crutch segment having the typical bracket shown in Figure 1 attached thereto, said side view of Fig. 4 being gen-' erally comparable to that of Fig. 2, but with the bracket re-positioned with respect to the crutch upright to have the major axis of the bracket arranged generally parallel to the crutch uprights and to provide article carrying means extending a small dimension from the general plane of the crutch upright;

Fig. 5 illustrates in perspective view a modified form of bracket also illustrative of the present invention, as adapted to and applied to a so-called single-upright type of crutch; and

Fig. 6 illustrates in partial, perspective view one cooperating half of the bracket illustrated in Fig. 5, showing the interior detail of the single-upright crutch clamping block means thereof. Turning to a more detailed consideration of a typical specific embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 presents in perspective view an article carrying bracket adapted for attachment to a double-upright type crutch, and comprising a pair of spaced support plates 10 and 11, respectively provided with article supporting notchesor hooks 12 and 13 being arranged as a spaced pair at one extremity of the major axis of supporting plates 10 and 11, and with article supporting notches or hooks 14 and 15 being arranged as an article supporting pair at one extremity of the minor axis of said supporting plates 10 and 11. Supporting plates 10 and 11 are maintained in spaced relation by suitable spacing elements, such as hollow rods 16 and 17, and by bolts 18 and 19 respectively passing through spacers 16 and 17 as well as through holes provided in plates 10 and 11, said supporting plates 10 and ll'bei-ng clamped against spacers 16 and 17 by cooperaQ tion of said bolts-18 and 19 and wing nuts on the blind end of'bolts 18 and 19, one of such wing nuts being shown in the view of Fig. 3 at 20.

Opposed pairs of holes 21 and 22 in one instance, 23

and 24 in a second instance, and 25 and 26 in the third instance are provided in supporting plates 10 and 11, and are arrangedto co-operate with similarly spaced holes drilled in uprights 3t) and 31 of a double-upright crutch,

- shown in segmented form .in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, below' the handle 32 of said crutch. Such holes in uprights 3.0 and 31 serve to mount the article carrying bracket on the crutch and are indicated at 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38, the manner of alternative mounting of the bracket being indicated with greater particularity hereinafter. 7 The article carrying bracket illustrated in Fig. 1 is.

selectively and alternatively mounted between crutchupmajor axis of the bracket extending or standing out at right angles from the crutch upright in a manner so that hooks 12 and 13 are spaced a substantial distance from uprights 30 and 31 so as to support and carry relatively more bulky or heavier articles, while the position of the bracket illustrated in Fig. 4 is advantageous for use in carrying articles of relatively small dimension in that the notches 14 and 15 along the minor axis of the bracket are by such latter arrangement maintained in article supporting and carrying position while extending or standing out no more than necessary from the general line of the crutch uprights. The aforesaid selective positioning of the portion of the bracket illustrated in Fig. 1 in one or the other of the positions illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4 is accomplished by selection of two of the three pairs of holes in uprights 30 and 31 for mounting of the bracket. In the relatively extended position shown in side view in Fig. 2 and in partial cross-section view in Fig. 3, bolts 39 and 40 are respectively passed through pairs of holes 33 and 34 on the one hand and 35 and 36 on the other hand, and secured in position by means of wing nuts 41 and 42, respectively, suitable washers 43, 44, 45 and 46 being utilized as desired. It has been found advantageous to mount springs between support plates and 11 and the adjacent facing sur-' faces of uprights 30 and 31 in order to center, stabilize, and prevent rattle of the bracket during use. Such springs have been adopted in the typical embodiment of the invention under consideration, and are shown in Fig. 3 at 47, 48, 49, and 50.

While it will be apparent that two pairs of holes in uprights 30 and 31 would suflice for the mounting of the bracket comprising supporting plate 10 and 11 in either of the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 4, it has also been found advantageous to provide three pairs of mounting holes, as indicated, in said uprights 30 and 31, since the placement of bolt 40 through holes 35 and 36 is thereupon common to either such mounting, and shift from one indicated carrying position of the bracket to the other is accomplished merely by transfer of bolt 39 from holes 33 and 34 to holes 37 and 38, the bracket thereby being transferred from the position illustrated in Fig. 2 to the position illustrated in Fig. 4. The facility of the re-positioning of the bracket from the more compact position of Fig. 4 to the relatively extended position shown in Fig. 2 by re-transfer of bolt 39 to holes 33 and 34 is equally apparent.

It will be noted that either pair of article carrying notches 12 and 13 on the one hand and 14 and on the other hand provides spaced supports for the article being supported and carried and, as a consequence of the spaced relation of each said pair, tends to minimize any pendulum action of the article which would be otherwise occasioned by the intermittent movement of the crutch in use. Such spaced relation of the article carrying support points is particlarly advantageous in carrying articles such as a pail of water which would tend to spill if supported on the crutch at only a single point.

When an article carrying crutch bracket comprising support plates 10 and 11 is in the carrying position illustrated in Fig. 4, i.e., with notches 14 and 15 in the article receiving position relatively adjacent the crutch uprights, any tendency for an article so carried to rub on the bracket, such as a briefcase, is elfectively eliminated or minimized by sloping the exposed edges of plates 10 and 11 downward toward the uprights. Such sloping edge portions of support plates 10 and 11 are respectively shown at 51 and 52 in the illustrated embodiments of the invention.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate a modified form of the present invention, wherein spaced support plates 10 and 11 are respectively assembled with clamping blocks 55 and 56 for attachment to a crutch ofthe shingle-upright type, siih crut'ch being shown in segmental form at 57. As shown in Fig. 5, the bracket comprising support plates 10 and 11 and clamping blocks 55 and 56 is assembled with blocks 55 and 56 in clamping engagement with crutch upright 57 by meansof bolts 58, 59, and 60, each of said bolts 58, 59, and 60 cooperating with wing nuts (not shown) on the blind side of the bracket in the View in Fig. 5 to positively clamp and rigidly, though adjustably, retain said bracket on said upright 57. As will be apparent, bolts 58, 59, and 60 may be the same as bolts 18 and 19, utilized in the assembly of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, said bolt 58 being clamped through the corresponding holes in support plates 10 and 11 as accommodate bolt 18 in the arrangement in Fig. l, and said bolts 59 and 60 respectively passing through holes 23 and 24 in the instance of bolt 59, and holes 25 and 26 in the instance of bolt 69. As shown in the partial view of Fig. 6, clamping blocks 55 and 56 are correspondingly provided with aligned holes to accommodate said bolts 58, 59, and 60, the three such respective holes in clamping block 56 being indicated at 61, 62, and 63. Clamping blocks 55 and 56 are also provided with recessed clamping surfaces 64 and 65 of semi-cylindrical contour, arranged at right angles with respect to each other along the facing surfaces of each of said clamping blocks 55 and 56 to enable this modified form of the bracket arrangement to be clamped to the crutch upright 57 with the major axis of the bracket assembly transverse to the axis of the crutch upright, and with article supporting notches 12 and 13 in relatively extended position from crutch upright 57, as shown in Fig. 5, by contacting said recessed surfaces 64 with said upright 57. Alternatively, the bracket assembly may be attached to crutch upright 57 by contact of recessed surfaces 65 of clamping blocks 55 and 56 therewith, to provide article carrying notches 14 and 15 in an article carrying position relatively adjacent said crutch upright 57, as desired.

In that the disclosed embodiments of the bracket of the present invention have certain elements in common, such as support plates 10 and 11 for example, it will be readily understood that the types of crutch bracket here presented are readily adaptable to being marketed in kit form, with alternatively used elements such as spacers 16 and 17 and clamping blocks 55 and 56 included to permit optional adaptation by the user of article supporting plates 10 to 11 to either double-upright or single-upright types of crutches.

In connection with the foregoing description of the invention and for a fuller understanding of the following claims, it will of course be recognized that crutches of the double upright" type and of the single uprigh type are well known per se. Either of these types of crutches is identifiable as having an imaginary plane of reference passing through to the handle and the upright portions or upright portion of the crutch, as the case may be, and such term of reference has been adopted in certain of the following claims to form a basis for defining element arrangements characterizing the invention.

Having particular regard to supporting plates 10 and 11 and clamping blocks 55 and 56, it will be readily apparent that an article carrying crutch bracket according to the present invention may be fabricated from a variety of materials, such as metal, plastic, or wood, as appropriate to achieve lightness in weight consistent with desired strength. For example, it has been found advantageous to fabricate support plates 10 and 11 from a light metal such as aluminum, and to fabricate clamping blocks 55 and 56 from wood or plastic. It will also be readily apparent that an opposed half of the bracket, such as is illustrated in Fig. 6, can be readily fabricated as a unitary article and be modified in external contour by known molding, casting, and/ or machining practice.

Other variations in arrangement and design will be apparent to those skilled in the art, within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion longitudinally extending below the handle thereof, an article carrying bracket supported by said upright portion, said bracket including separated article receiving and supporting hooks for varying sized parts of the article, said hooks being mounted on separate arms extending in parallel relation and on the same side of said upright portion and disposed laterally of the longitudinal axis of the crutch and situated outwardly from and pointing in the same and upward direction.

2. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion longitudinally extending below the handle thereof, an article carrying bracket including spaced article supporting plates each provided at an extremity thereof with upwardly, openly directed hooks, and means attaching said spaced article supporting plates on said at least one upright portion with said article supporting plates spaced laterally from said at least one upright portion and with the respectively spaced hooks situated a substantial distance laterally from said at least one upright portion and being arranged as an article supporting pair pointing in the same and upward direction on the same side of said crutch.

3. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion longitudinally extending below the handle thereof, an article carrying bracket attached to said at least one upright portion and comprising laterally opposed article contacting and supporting plates each with an end portion having a configuration of a fixed hook, said supporting plates being mounted on said at least one upright portion by means positioning said end portions to offset the same laterally of said at least one upright portion, the respective hook end portions of said plates thereby being separated and outwardly spaced from said crutch upright portion on the same side of the crutch in providing stability to and minimizing the pendulum action of an article carried thereon as would otherwise be occasioned by intermittent movement of the crutch in use.

4. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion longitudinally extending below the handle thereof, said at least one upright portion and said handle lying in an imaginary plane of reference, an article carrying bracket supported by said at least one crutch upright portion, said article carrying bracket including a pair of article supporting hooks, means anchoring said pair of article supporting hooks with respect to said at least one upright crutch portion with said supporting hooks spaced substantially away from said imaginary plane of reference and with said hooks separated substantially in a direction generally parallel to said imaginary plane of reference, said article supporting hooks both being on the same side of said imaginary plane of reference and directed away therefrom and pointing upwardly.

5. In combination with a crutch having a single upright portion extending below the handle thereof, said single upright portion and said handle lying in an imaginary plane of reference, an article carrying bracket supported by said single upright portion, said article carrying bracket including a pair of article supporting registering hooks laterally spaced withrespect to said upright support and pointing in the same and upward direction, means anchoring said pair of article supporting hooks with respect to said single upright crutch portion with said supporting hooks spaced substantially away from said imaginary plane of reference and with said hooks separated substantially in a direction generally parallel to said imaginary plane of reference, said article supporting hooks both being on the same side of said imaginary plane of reference and directed away therefrom.

6. In combination with a crutch having double upright portions extending below the handle thereof, said double upright portions and said handle lying in an imaginary plane of reference, an article carrying bracket supported by said double upright portions, said article carrying bracket including a pair of article supporting hooks, means anchoring said pair of article supporting hooks with respect to said double upright crutch portions with said hooks spaced substantially away from said imaginary plane of reference and with said hooks separated substantially in direction generally parallel to said imaginary plane of reference, said article supporting hooks both being on the same side of said imaginary plane of reference and directed away therefrom.

7. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion longitudinally extending below the handle thereof, an article carrying bracket supported by said at least one upright portion, said bracket comprising spaced, laterally extending parallel plates each integrally provided at an extremity thereof with an article supporting hook, and means for offset mounting said spaced parallel plates on said at least one upright portion with said plates lying adjacent to the sides of said at least one upright portion and with said supporting hooks spaced substantially from each other on the same side of said crutch upright portion and spaced substantially away from said crutch upright portion.

8. The combination defined in claim 7, wherein said crutch is of the single-upright type and said means for offset mounting said spaced parallel plates thereon includes clamping blocks gripping such single-upright portion along opposed inwardly facing surfaces of said clamping blocks, and means mounting said parallel plates on the outwardly facing surfaces of said blocks.

9. The combination defined in claim 7, wherein said crutch is of the double-upright type and said means for offset mounting said spaced parallel plates includes bolts extending through said parallel plates and through both the upright portions of the crutch.

10. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein said bolts have arranged therewith a first spring means situated between one of said spaced parallel plat% and the facing portion of one of said crutch upright portions and a second spring means situated between the other of said spaced parallel plates and the facing portion of the other of said crutch upright portions in centering, stabilizing and preventing rattle of the article carrying bracket in use.

11. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion extending below the handle thereof, said at least one upright portion and said handle lying in an imaginary plane of reference, an article carrying bracket comprising spaced plates each having a major dimension and a minor dimension aside from the thickness dimension thereof, each of said spaced plates being provided with a notched, hook shaped edge adjacent to one extremity of the said major dimension thereof said hooks of said plates registering with each other and pointing in the same direction and upwardly, said bracket further comprising means mounting said plates in a spaced manner with respect to said at least one crutch upright portion with the said major dimension of each said plates extending perpendicularly through said imaginary plane of reference-and with the said hook shaped edges spaced substantially away from said plane of reference on one side thereof and separated substantially from each other in a direction parallel to said imaginary plane of reference.

12. In combination with a crutch having at least one upright portion extending below the handle thereof, said at least one upright portion and said handle lying in an imaginary plane of reference, an article carrying bracket comprising spaced plates each having a major dimension and a minor dimension aside from the thickness dimension thereof, each of said spaced plates being provided with a notched, hook shaped edge adjacent to one extremity of the said minor dimension thereof said hooks of said plates registering with each other andpointing in the same direction and upwardly, said bracket further comprising means mounting said plates in a spaced mannor with respect to said at least one crutch upright nortion with the said minor dimension of each said plates extending perpendicularly through said imaginary plane of reference and with the said hook shaped edges spaced substantially away from said plane of reference on one side thereof and separated substantially from each other in a direction parallel to said imaginary plane of reference.

13. A crutch article carrying bracket comprising spaced apart separate parallel plates, having major and minor dimensions; means mounting said plates into an integral unit; and article carrying like disposed and like registering hooks in one end portion or" said plates opening uptl ie crutch, said lateral spaced plates providing stability to and minimizing the swinging action of an article carried thereon otherwise resulting from intermittent movement of the crutch in use.

14. A crutch article carrying bracket comprising later ally spaced apart separate parallel plates, having major and minor dimensions; means mounting said plates into an integral unit; and article carrying pairs of like hooks, the hooks of each pair being like disposed and like registering in each end portion of said plates opening upwardly 8 in carrying operative position. when mounted on the crutch; said opening of the pairs of hooks being disposed at 90 as each other, said lateral spaced plates providing stability to and minimizing the swinging action of an article carried thereon otherwise resulting from intermittent nieve'mer'it of the crutch in use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 985,062 Rendleman Feb. 21, 1911 1,394,383 Whiter'nore Oct. 18, 1921 1,791,019 Wilson Feb. 3, 1931 2,151,293 Dross Mar. 21, 1939 2,311,049 Hedden Feb. 16, 1943 2,423,635 Blum July 8, 1947 2,553,730 Taylor May 22, 1951 2,778,370 Chamblee Ian. 22, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 364,373 Great Britain Jan. 7, 1932 1,016,156 France Nov. 4, 1952 

